James l



(N0 Modei.)

J. L. HATCH.

COUNTER STIPIE'ENER MACHINE. N0. 286,432. Patented 00 13. 9, 1883- Fig/1Wikqe sas. A IIP/EIHIDYI rm Penna mann ng-v. wnm a c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. eron, or nocnnsrnn, new ronn.

COUNTER-STIFFENER MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,432, dated October9, 1883.

Application filed August 17, less. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J litres L. Huron, of Rochester, county of Monroe,and StateofNew York, haye invented an Improvement in Machines forElongating and Finishing Counter- Stiffeners for Boots and Shoes, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

IO In the manufacture of counter-stifi'eners the leather orleather-board, cut into the proper shape, is rolled or flanged between arevolving and a stationary mold, which leavesthe counter stifiener in atoo-nearly circular form to fit the heel of a last, and thereafter thesaid rolled counterstiffener is molded between firm, rigid,

, hinged jaws of a divided mold, the latter clamping the stiffener tothe form, while a V- shaped slide irons and sets the flange. In myexperiments to produce a counter-stiffener to fit the human heel, I havediscovered that the said stiffener may be greatly improved in shape I bystretching the same at its sides on the same machine which irons andsets the flange. To 2 this end I have combined with the heel-like formon which the rolled stiffener is placed and held an. impinging followerand a con neeted clamp composed of one or more springs, which act uponthe outer sides of the rolled o stiffener placed on the said form andstretch and elongate it from its media-n line along its sides, and inconnection with the same I use a horizontallyreciprocating V-shapedslide by which to iron and smooth down and set the 3 5 fiange partiallyset in the rolling process.

Figure 1 in top view, represents a machine containing my improvedapparatus for elongating and finishing counter-stiifeners, the stiffenerbeing shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 40 is a longitudinal section of Fig.1 on the dotted line as x, the guide for the V-shaped slide being,however, omitted; Fig. 3, a crosssection on the dotted line a? of, Fig.2. Fig; 4 represents a stiffener as taken from the rollingmachine to bestretched and finally shaped by the machine herein described. Fig. 5represents a finished stiffener; Fig. 6, a section of Fig. 1 on line 00a, and Fig. '7 a section of Fig. 1 on line so".

The heeli'orni A composed of cast metal and of suitable size, accordingto the stiffener to be elongated and finished, rests in a groove,

a, in the bed-plate B, and slides therein more or less, as the stiffeneris acted upon by the stretching-clamp G. The heel-form has abolt or rod,I), which is entered through a rigid upright part, If, of theusual'frame-work, A and through a suitable spring, 1), preferably ofindia-rubber.

The follower D, forming part of the stretching-clamp, is made as a solidblock, concavcd at its frontend and wider at top than at bot tom, (seeFig. 6,) thus giving to it verticallyinclined faces, is attached to asuit-able rod, D, which, in practice, will be guidedin a suitablebearing, 2, one or more, and will be reciprocated longitudinally bymeans of a suitable cam, A, the face of which receives a pin or roller,4, attached to the slotted part D of the rod D, the shaft A3, to whichthe said cam is attached, being extended through the slot in D Thisfollower has attached to it the steel springs s s of the clamp, eachspring being connected with the follower D by suitable bolts, 5 6, andpreferably connected therewith in an adjustable manner by making thecentral part of the side faces of the follower D, between the bolts 5'6, higher than at the said bolts, (see Fig. 1,)so that adjustment of thebolts 5 6 will enable the free or front ends of the springs s s of theclamp to be more or less separated; and so, also, to stiffen the saidsprings, the bolts may be moved to more or less bend the springs overtheir fulcra. It will also be understood that I may stiffen the springs,if desired, by adding a leaf of spring outside each spring 8, aswagonsprings are commonly stiffened, the outer end of thatstiffening-leaf not, however, being extended but little beyond the bolt6.

The main shaft E of the machine, having suitable hearings in standardsmounted on the frame-work, has a pinion, E, which engages a tooth-gear,E fast on the cam-shaft A at the side of the cam A, before described.The shaft A has fast at each end of it a crank, 10, which, by link 12,is jointed to a carriage, E. The links 12 are connected with thiscarriage at each side of its center, and the carriage provided withsuitable projections, f, which are fitted under cap-platesf which thusact as a guideway for the carriage as it is reciprocated by the saidcranks and links.

The carriage E has attached to it by bolt 14 the V-shaped slide F, whichis moved forward horizontally above the heel-form and clamp to irondown, smooth, and set the flange of the counter. The'forward part of theV-shaped slide is guided in a guide-plate, S, provided at its under sidewith a dovetail or other suitable groove to receive the said slide.

The plate Sis held down by springs S acted upon by suitable nuts, 20, onbolts 21, by which to adjust the strength of the said springs, andthereby permit the slide F to rise more or less, according to thethickness of the turned'over or flanged part of the stiffener.

The rolled stiffener it (see Fig. 4) having been placed upon theheel-form A, the clamp will be moved forward, and the curved end of thesprings will first impingeagainst the stiffener at about the line g y,and will then spread as the clamp is being moved forward,

and will slide over and in contact with the said stiffener ontheheelform until the springs reach thethickest part of the heeLform,which is in the line a 2, at which time the stiffener is subject-ed tothe greatest elongation or stretching strain from its back verticalcenter or median line. After this the free ends of the springs aregradually permitted to approach each other, following in and huggingclosely to the outer side of the stiffener supported upon a thinner partof the heel-form, stretching, smoothing, and elongating the saidstiffener from the said line 2 forward to its ends.

If, desired, I may relieve the pressure of the springs on the stiffeneras the clamp is drawn off backward. To do this the lower edge of eachspring will be provided with an incline to strike against a roller orstud, which will be thrown up in the path of the backwardlymoving clamp.The clamp having been moved fully forward, as in Fig. 1, and the springss 8 having acted upon the sides of the stiffener and stretched andfitted it to the contour of the heelform, the slide F will be movedforward until its V-shaped end passes beyond the corners of the flangedpart of the stiffener, the said slide, by its downward and forwardpressure,which may be varied in amount as desired, ironing, smoothing,and setting the flange of the stiff ener. As the clamp reaches itsextreme forward position the concave face of the block D strikes andpresses the stiffener at and about its median line closely against andabout the end of the heel-form. The downwardly and inwardly beveledsides of the block D enable the springs s s to be placed in an inclinedposition, so as to hug closely against the stiffener outside of thethinnest part of the heel-form, thus drawing it in to insure a properadaptation of the upper or unflanged part of the stiffener to thenatural heel.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the heel-form is made narroweropposite the curved top edges, ha, of the stiffener h. To enable thepart h of the stiffener to be fitted closely to the heel-form, the sidesof the follower D from top to bottom are beveled inwardly, so that thelower edges of the springs s are closer together than their upper edges,and the springs inclined inwardly, as in Fig. 6, are enabled to flt thecounter-stiffener closely to the tapered narrower thin parts of theheel-form.

I claim 1. The heel-form, combined with the fol lower D and its attachedsprings s, to shape the stiffener to the heel-form, substantially asdescribed.

2. The heel-form and the reciprocating follower D, combined with thesprings s, and with screws to adjust them upon the follower,substantially as described. A

3. The heel-form, made thinner below its upper part, upon which reststhe flange of the counter-stiffener, combinedwith the springs havingtheir low er edges inclined inwardly, to act upon the entire sides ofthe stiffener from its flanged portion to its curved or top edge,substantially as described.

4. The heel-form and the reciprocating follower, and springs to actdirectly upon the counter-stiffener placed on the said form, combinedwith the reciprocating slide F, to iron and set the flange of thestiffener, substantially as described.

5. The heel-form, the reciprocating follower, and springs to act uponthe outer sides ofthe counter-stiffener, and the slide F, to iron andset the flange of the stiffener, and the carriage to move the saidslide, combined with means, substantially as described, to vary thedownward pressure of the slide F upon the said flange.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specifi cation in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES L. HATCH. Vitnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, B. J. NoYns.

